Merchandise
by Jethro25
Summary: NCIS, the FBI & the detectives of the 12th Precinct Castle work together to stop a human trafficking ring, their efforts made more desperate by the fact that two of their own have been taken. Multiple X-over. 4th in my AU series starting w/ the Long Lie. Expect appearances from Burn Notice, White Collar, NCIS: LA & Hawaii Five-0, among others.
1. Chapter 1

OK, I'm back, at least a little, for now. I've gotten a number of PMs wondering if/when I intended to continue with the storyline that started in the Long Lie & continued through Convergence & Johanna's Story. I have to say that writing Johanna's Story (143 pages on Word) in nine days just kind of killed my muse for a bit. I think that maybe I just worked her so hard she fell into a coma after that one.

The next story in this continuing cycle has now begun. I have eleven pages down & (hopefully) many more on the way. This is 3 times the total amount I've managed to write since the end of Johanna's Story, on all my work combined! The new one is currently under the working title of **Merchandise**, though I am not very happy with that title, & it will almost certainly change. If anyone has a suggestion, I'd be glad to hear it.

The story is the 4th in a series set in a universe that was at least somewhat AU right from the beginning. It is not necessary that you read the other stories first, but many of the references will make a great deal more sense if you do. If you choose to, they are, in order: The Long Lie (NCIS), Convergence (NCIS Bones & Criminal Minds) & Johanna's Story (Castle & NCIS w/ a dash of Bones & Burn Notice).

The story involves a ring of white slavers who are abducting young folk (mostly young women, but a few men as well) to be sold to private buyers at a gathering in the Far East, mostly specifically selected folk, for private buyers, and the rest in an auction. Amongst those taken are a pair of roommates at a DC college, Michelle Welton (Camille Saroyan's adopted daughter on Bones) & Alexis Castle. Booth & his team, Beckett's team & Castle, & the crew from NCIS (on loan to the FBI by request of FBI Deputy-Director Fornell), will be the central figures on the case. However, expect many different faces to pop up here & there in support, including, though not necessarily limited to a BAU agent or two from Criminal Minds, the crew from NCIS: Los Angeles, the Burn Notice crew, the folks from the new Hawaii Five-0, the team from White Collar, and maybe (maybe not) a few others, not all of them necessarily from crime dramas. I certainly intend to throw in a favorite figure might recognize from films. As in past stories, most of these other folks will be very much supporting characters, usually only appearing in a chapter or three & then gone.

The timeline on this story is that it is set just under 2 years after the end of Johanna's Story. There are a few things, of import, that have happened in the intervening two years which I will note here:

Kate Beckett & Richard Castle are a couple, but have done their best to keep it out of the news

Alexis Castle is almost finished w/ her Freshman year at Waverly (in DC), where she rooms

with Michelle Welton

LeRoy Jethro Gibbs & Caitlyn Todd are engaged

Tony DiNozzo & Ziva David are still seeing one another, but spend roughly the same amount

of time arguing as getting along

Seely Booth turned down a major promotion to remain with his team at the Jeffersonian. He

& Bones are still dancing around one another, neither being ready to step up just yet

Michael Westen has managed to get his name cleared, with some help from Ziva & NCIS, after

their last encounter. However, he has remained in Miami, waiting for "the right

opportunity" to present itself, & taking odd jobs as he has since being Burned

Ziva has become an American citizen & is an NCIS Special Agent, no longer a Mossad Liaison

Officer.

Roy Montgomery is one of a handful of candidates for the position of Chief of Police for

Manhattan

Tobias Fornell is the Supervisory Special Agent (SSA) in charge of the Washington Field

Office for the FBI, & his name is one of half a dozen in the running for the position of

Deputy Director, when the current DD steps down in a few months

I have completed the eleven page Prologue, & Chapters 1 & 2 so far. I am posting the prologue now, as a preview, but I will not begin to post the regular chapters until I am at least halfway finished, if not closer to ¾ done. I hope you all enjoy, G

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**MERCHANDISE – Prologue – "Taken"**

Alexis Castle glanced at her watch. Twelve-ten. Michelle had promised that they would leave by midnight. They both had classes in the morning, albeit late in the morning. Professor Markham was pretty dry, and Alexis would definitely be able to keep more focused if she had at least eight hours of sleep. She smiled at Ryan and excused herself. He was cute and all, a defensive back on the Waverly football team, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go out with him yet. Something about him just seemed a little bit off to her.

Alexis was well aware that boys found her attractive, slender and willowy, with long, straight red hair and blue eyes nearly the color of the sky. She could feel his eyes on her as she walked away. The question was where would she find Michelle? The house was two stories, and it was jam packed with young people, from eighteen to twenty-five, most of them Waverly students, but several outsiders as well.

She eventually found Michelle in the backyard, leaning against the side of the house, her eyes heavy-lidded, with a soft smile on her full lips. She was Alexis' age, but the similarities all but ended there. Michelle had skin the color of coffee with a generous bit of cream, dark soulful eyes, and a pretty face. She was a little bit taller than Alexis, with a few more curves. Needless to say, she was quite popular, and a little bit wild.

Alexis, with a little effort, shooed off the three young men, friends of Ryan and also on the team. "Meesh," she said, "it's after midnight. We need to go."

Her roommate nodded, and took a wobbly step. Alexis stepped up and wrapped an arm around her. "How much did you have to drink?"

"A few," Michelle responded, but by the obvious thickness of her tongue, and the continued wobble to her walk, Alexis was fairly certain that she'd had more than "a few".

Rather than fight their way back through the mob inside the house, Alexis led them to the side of the house and out the gate. Just before they reached the gate, Michelle tilted back her head and called out to the young men they'd left behind, "Call me." She almost dragged them both to the ground, but Alexis managed to prop her back up. She took a quick glance back herself. The three jocks were arguing, each of them assuming that Michelle's comment was meant for him. It was almost enough to make her laugh.

It was early November, but the air in DC was still warm, almost balmy, which was a little strange, but Alexis didn't mind. She briefly considered calling a cab for them, but the dorm was less than ten minutes walk, and she figured the fresh air, and a walk, would do Michelle some good. It wasn't the first time she'd half-carried her roommate home after a party. Not to say it was a regular occurrence. For the most part, Michelle was smart, funny, and a good student, but every once in a while, she just needed to let it all go. This night was apparently one of those nights.

Busy as she was caring for Michelle, Alexis never noticed the dark panel van that was idling just up the dark street. Two large men sat in the front, with another pair huddling in the back. They each wore a ski mask, pushed up on top of their heads, leaving their faces visible, for the moment, ready to be pulled down at any time.

"Is that the one?" the heavily-muscled driver asked, his Russian accent thick.

"Da," the passenger said, holding up a picture of Alexis smiling almost straight into the camera, obviously taken somewhere on campus, judging by the collegiate-looking buildings in the background and all the young people walking with books and backpacks. He double-checked as Alexis and Michelle walked under one the few street lights and then nodded the confirmation again.

The driver slipped the van into gear and slowly pulled out behind the girls, who were maybe fifty yards ahead. "What about the other one?" the driver asked.

"We take her too," from the passenger. She won't sell for as much, without a specific buyer, but I'm sure we can find someone to take her, or maybe I'll just give her to all of you as a sort of bonus." His accent was every bit as thick as the other's. He pulled down his mask, prompting the others to do so as well.

The van pulled up alongside the girls and the three men jumped out, the driver remaining inside. In a matter of seconds, the passenger had a hand over Alexis mouth and her arms pinned to her sides as he dragged her into the back of the van, despite her feverish resistance. The other two grabbed Michelle by the arms and legs and desposited her inside as well, crawling in behind her and pulling the door closed as the driver pulled away, quickly, but so fast as to draw attention.

Igor Michelek had to struggle to get the redhead pinned to the floor, but once he'd managed it, he and Ivan took only a few moments to have her trussed up, wrists bound behind her, ankles tied, a rag shoved into her mouth, with tape wrapped around her head holding the rag in place. Another strip of tape went over her eyes.

Vladimir had much less trouble with the black girl, drunk as she was. Igor worried about gagging her, afraid she might vomit and drown herself, but in the end, what did it matter. He had the girl he'd been paid to get. The pretty little African girl was a bonus. Not bad to have, but not really necessary.

He congratulated his crew on such a smooth snatch, and they headed for the safehouse.

In the back of the van, one thought ran through Alexis' fear-filled mind, on a near continuous loop, _Dad and Kate will find us_.

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They drove for what seemed like endless hours to Alexis, but was really more like two hours. She could feel Michelle curled up against her back, could hear her whimper with fear with each bump they passed over, much like she knew the other girl could hear her own cries.

She couldn't make out anything. The tape they'd put over her eyes kept her completely in the dark. She strained to listen, hoping that she might hear something, anything that might tell her who these men were, where they were taking her, and why. The problem was, they weren't talking much. They'd said a bit when the abduction first took place, but she'd been too scared to take notice really, all the little snippets she'd heard since were in some foreign language. _Maybe Russian_, she thought. She'd heard Kate speak a few sentences, and the girl who'd been her biology partner her senior year in high school, Svetlana, had emigrated from Vladivostok.

At least the men hadn't tried to assault them, and she prayed that they wouldn't in the hours to come either. _Please, God_, she thought, _please let this be about money, not sex_.

Suddenly the van began to slow a bit and exited off the interstate, though of course she had no idea where. The icy ball that had been in the pit of her stomach since the moment she'd been snatched off the street began to grow.

There was much less traffic noise, almost none, and none of the feel of a city. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew. A slight whiff of fertilizer a few minutes further on told her she was right. Before long, the van turned off the paved road, and onto a bumpy dirt road. In another minute, they stopped altogether.

Alexis' heart was hammering away in her chest, and judging by the way that Michelle was squirming behind her, it was clear that she was just as terrified. She heard the side panel door of the van open, and felt the cool night breeze. Rough hands grabbed her legs and dragged her across the floor of the van to the door, and she was promptly lifted up onto one of the men's shoulder, like a sack of potatoes. She offered little resistance, seeing no profit in it. If anything, she might anger him and be punished with violence.

She could hear the sounds of Michelle struggling. There was a crack as one of the men clearly hit her. She whimpered and the struggling stopped. The man carrying Alexis spoke sharply to one of the others, maybe the one who had hit Michelle, but again she couldn't understand him. She was nearly certain now, however, that they were speaking Russian.

The man carried her through the building, _a farmhouse perhaps_, she thought, and deposited her onto what felt like a hardwood floor, and promptly left her where she was. Michelle was unceremoniously dumped next to her a moment later. Alexis breathed a big sigh of relief when the second man also left the room, leaving the two girls alone. She'd greatly feared that they would be sexually assaulted the moment they reached a stopping point. It could still happen, she knew, but for now she'd settle for the small victory at hand. Now, if they could only find some way to free themselves.

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Camille Saroyan sat in a booth at Sartini's, the same one that she and Michelle always tried to get when they met for lunch. It was next to the window, so they could look out at everyone passing by on the street. They always enjoyed people watching.

The man at the next table glanced over his paper at Camille, for the third time in the last sixty seconds. He was probably in his early forties, and handsome. Normally, she'd have smiled back, maybe even spoken a few words, or given him her number. Today, she barely even noticed his interest.

Camille checked her watch, again. Michelle was now twenty-two minutes late, and Cam was officially worried. Her adopted daughter had an English Lit class that ended at 12:30 on Fridays. Her last class of the week would be Creative Writing at 4:00. In between, she and Cam would meet for lunch at 1:00. She'd never been more than 5 minutes late without a call before, and today she was bringing her roommate, Alexis. From what Cam had heard about Alexis Castle, that girl would have made sure they were on time, or else she would have made Michelle call right at one.

She picked up her cell and dialed Michelle's number again. She was sent straight to voice mail, for the second time in twenty minutes, and the fourth time since last night. She left another message, "Michelle, honey, I know you probably think I'm crazy for calling again, but I'm worried. Please call me back so we can have a good laugh about how overprotective I am." She paused, and then added, "I love you." Her fingers itched to hit speed-dial four and get Booth on the line. She decided to give Michelle and Alexis another few minutes first.

The handsome man from the next table stood and folded his paper, turning away, after giving her one last glance, and walking out the door. Camille still didn't notice. She had eyes only for her watch, her phone and the door.

At 1:31, she couldn't wait anymore. She got up from the booth, leaving her untouched coffee on the table, left a ten dollar bill, and made a beeline for the door. Waverly was only five minutes away. She'd just pop into the girls' dorm room. Maybe they'd forgotten. She prayed that that was it. Or else, she'd pass them on the street as they were walking to the restaurant.

Ten minutes later, Cam was standing in front of the door to their room, number 318 in West Waverly Hall. The door was locked, and there was no answer. Her stomach felt like it was filled with a ball of ice cold lead. Like many college kids, the girls had a little dry-erase board mounted on the outside of their door for messages. Theirs was filled with questions about where they'd been the last two days, and why they'd missed classes. Cam knew the moment she read the first message, her instincts had been right. Something was terribly wrong.

She moved slowly, deliberately, doing everything in her power to remain calm, and in control. She took her phone from her purse and called Booth.

"Seely Booth," his voice on the other end of the line was both reassuring to her, but also terrifying. She was terrified that she'd been forced to call him for this, and what that might mean.

"Booth," she said, her voice wavering, nowhere near as strong as she'd hoped it would be.

"Cam?" he questioned, and though she couldn't see it, he checked the caller ID. "You sound terrible, are you alright?"

"I need you…," she hesitated, stifling the sob that wanted to break free from her throat, then went on, "…I need you to come to Waverly College, West Waverly Hall, room three one eight."

"Cam," he asked, "what's going on? Are you okay? Wait a minute, Waverly…is Michelle okay?"

"I don't know Seely," she said, the sob finally breaking through. "I can't find her."

"Don't move," he said. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

The line was already dead by the time she nodded and said, "Okay." She turned her back to the wall and slid down, doing everything she could to hold back the tears glistening in her eyes, but slowly her lower lip began to tremble and the tears began to fall.

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She'd regained a small amount of composure by the time Booth arrived, with Dr. Brennan in tow. _She must have been with him when I called_, Cam thought. She used the wall as a support to get her feet under her without wobbling as they literally ran up the hall from the staircase to her.

Booth wrapped her in a giant hug, her own arms holding him just as fiercely. "She's gone," she cried into his shoulder. A few of the students in the dorm had gathered around to see just what was going on with the three strangers.

Brennan tried shooing them away. "You should all be in your classes. You wouldn't want to stunt your academic and intellectual growth," she said. Mostly she got a number of blank stares in return.

"Okay," Booth said, finally letting Cam go, "let's not get too excited until we know what we're dealing with, here. Tell me what happened."

She did, starting with the bad feeling she'd gotten the day before, the unanswered calls, and the girls' failure to meet her for lunch. "When I got here, I saw the board," she finished, pointing to the dry erase board.

"Michelle and her roommate are young," Bones said, obviously making an effort to comfort Cam. "Perhaps they just forgot. Maybe they went to a movie or something."

"I don't think so, Bones," Seely said. He was on his phone. "Caroline," he said. "I need a search warrant for a dorm room at Waverly, West Waverly Hall, room three one eight." He paused, and then said, "I don't know yet. There are two missing girls. Okay thanks." Turning back to Cam, he said, "We'll find her."

Bones began to reach for her own phone even before he told her. "Bones, get the squints down here, please."

"I'm already calling," she said.

Booth turned to the gathered students, waving them over closer. He flashed his badge and said "I'm Special Agent Seely Booth of the FBI. This is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan," he motioned to Brennan. "We'd like to ask you a few questions." 

"Are we in any trouble?" one of the guys asked. His hair was greasy and looked like it hadn't been combed in days, and he wore a pair of baggy shorts that barely stayed above his hips. The grey checkered boxers underneath looked like they could use a good wash.

"No," Booth said. "You're not in any trouble, but what can you tell me about the two girls who live here?" he knocked on Michelle and Alexis' door behind him.

"Not much, bro," the kid said. Booth caught a faint whiff of old marijuana from the kid.

"What about the rest of you?" Brennan asked. She'd put away her phone. Hodgins was gathering the others and they were on the way.

An Asian girl stepped forward, slim and petite, with round glasses in black wire frames. She was pretty, in an understated way. "I take English Lit with Alexis and Michelle," she said. "They've both missed class the last two days." Cam grabbed his shoulder, squeezing hard.

"Have either of them missed class before?" Booth asked.

The girl shook her head and replied, "Michelle missed a day when she had the flu, but Alexis never misses any classes. She's very serious about her studies."

"Have any of you seen Michelle or Alexis in the last two days?" Booth asked, his eyes scanning the crowd. No one spoke up. "When was the last time any of you saw either one of the girls?"

"I saw them both on Wednesday, in English Lit, and then again in the cafeteria at lunchtime," the petite girl offered again.

"I saw them both at a party, off-campus on Wednesday night," another girl said. She was slender and fairly tall, with dark hair and slightly uneven dark eyes. She'd still have been pretty, if not for an unfortunately large and slightly off-centered nose.

"Where was this party?" Booth asked. "Do you have an address?"

"No," the girl shook her head. "I don't remember, but it was on Davis Lane, a few blocks over. The house was white, with dark blue shutters."

"I've got one of the party flyers in my room, still," another young man said. He was big, broad-shouldered, probably a football player. His hair was cut short and he had classic features. _Good bone structure_, Brennan thought. "I'll get it," the boy said, turning and trotting down the hall. He returned with the flyer a few moments later.

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Booth questioned the kids, asking about the girls and their habits, the party on Davis Lane, and anything else he could think of. Brennan moved over next to Dr. Saroyan. She knew she had no gift for comforting others, but she thought she should try. Cam seemed satisfied, for the moment, merely to hold her hand, though Brennan wished that she'd not hold it quite so tight.

Before long, they'd gathered a number of other folks around them. There was a Campus Security Officer named Rayford, and the Assistant Dean of Academics, Marian Waterling, two DC Metro guys, Detectives Cheney and Monteleone, and of course the Squint Squad, Hodgins, Zack and Angela, though it was clear from the moment of their arrival, Angela was there for no other reason than to comfort Cam.

Of course, they gathered a whole bunch more students, until Booth was forced to have Campus Security move them all back. Eventually, a Deputy Prosecutor from Caroline Julian's office showed up with the warrant. Rayford waited for a nod from Waterling, who gave the warrant a quick once over, before using a master key to open the door.

"Everybody stay back please," Booth said. He and Detective Cheney moved in to take a look. It was a typical college dorm, a bunk bed, with a desk built in at the foot of the lower bed, another desk on the opposite wall, with a shelf above for a TV. Booth hadn't seen too many rooms like this with 38 inch plasma screens mounted on the wall. The girls had been using the actual TV shelf for books. The plasma screamed Castle.

Each desk had a laptop computer, one open, one closed. The closed laptop sat on Michelle's desk, evident from the picture of Michelle with Cam standing behind her, arms wrapped around her, in a small wooden frame. Booth had taken that picture during a Saturday afternoon picnic the year before. He turned to the other desk and something caught his eye. There was a small, pink post-it note sticking to the border around the screen of Alexis' laptop, with a bit of writing in what certainly appeared to be a feminine hand. It read:

_Alexis, _

_ don't forget to take your soda _

_out of the freezer when you get_

_ home from the party so it doesn't_

_freeze, _

_ Alexis_

Booth moved to the small fridge/freezer tucked under Alexis' desk. He opened it and found just what he feared, two cans of soda, both frozen solid, the cans ruptured. The girls had never made it home from the party on Wednesday. His gut clenched. He looked up, meeting Cam's eyes, and she clearly read it in his face. She fell to her knees, tears flooding from her eyes, the dam she'd been holding against her despair breaking wide open. Bones and Angela knelt on either side of her, Angela offering her encouragement while Bones merely patted her back, her eyes locked with his own.

"See if you can find anything useful," he said, when Hodgins & Zack entered the room. He turned to the AUSA who'd brought the warrant. "I need more warrants, one for the cell phone of Alexis Castle, and one for Michelle Welton's phone. As soon as you get them, call Agent Perotta at FBI. Have her start tracking the GPS chips in the phones." He didn't wait for a response, going straight to Cam. He knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his own. She looked up at him, and it nearly broke his heart, seeing the strong woman he knew almost completely shattered. "I'll find her," he said, nothing more. Her only response was a single nod. He rose, and turned to Detective Cheney. "I want this one. No jurisdictional nonsense on this, okay?"

Cheney simply nodded. "It's yours," he said. The surprise on his underling, Monteleone's face was clear. Booth had expected more of a fight. Cheney didn't seem the kind to give up a case so easily. Obviosuly, he read the surprise on Booth's face just as easily as Booth had read Monteleone. He said, "I know a guy at NCIS. Gibbs. He speaks very highly of you Special Agent Booth."

"Thanks," Booth said. He'd never really been sure whether Gibbs liked him or not.

Monteleone pulled a sterling silver card case from the inside pocket of his suit coat, removed a card and handed it to Booth. "You need anything on this one, all you have to do is call. My team will provide any support you need."

Something about the man spoke of competence & leadership. "Can you have your people ask around campus, find out who was at this party on Davis Street Wednesday night?" 

"Then interview anyone we can identify, see if any of them saw anything, maybe get a better grasp on the timeline," Cheney said. "We'll get on it. Monteleone, get Rapp & Miller down here now."

"On it, Boss," the younger man said, flipping open his phone and stepping away.

"Thanks, Detective," Booth said, before turning back to Bones as Cheney nodded and moved away. "I have to make a another call," he told his partner.

"To Richard Castle," she said.

"Yeah." He'd grown to like Castle, after the case in New York eighteen months before, and he'd been to the man's apartment in New York twice, to play poker with the folks from the 12th Precinct. He searched the Contacts List on his phone until he found the number he was looking for. "Beckett," he said, "it's Seely Booth…"

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NOTES: Rabid NCIS fans, like me, will most likely recognize Cheney & Monteleone as two of the DC Detectives from the S2 episode, Doppleganger, who so closely mirrored Gibbs & DiNozzo. The other two, whom Cheney instructs Monteleone to call, Miller & Rapp, were near clones of Caitlyn Todd & Tim McGee.

As always, I will try to stay as true to the characters as I can. Of course, there may be some discrepancies, & even more so since this is the 4th story in a universe that has been at least somewhat AU from the very first story. I always appreciate feedback, both the good & the bad. How else will I identify what I did right & what I did wrong?


	2. Chapter 2

So, once again, I will bow to the wishes of my readers. I've received half a dozen requests to post as I go. So, here is Chapter One. This one is mostly Bones & Castle, w/ a little Fornell thrown in, partially because the story leads there, & partially to keep the NCIS devotees from burning my house down.

**MERCHANDISE – Chapter One – "A Difficult Phone Call"**

Kate Beckett was sitting at her desk, in the squad room of the 12th Precinct, filling out, what seemed to be, endless paperwork on the Nagrosi case. The guy had killed his wife, and he'd almost managed to shift the blame, successfully, to his wife's lover. Almost being the key word. He'd slipped up just once, getting caught on an ATM camera as he crossed a street nearby her building, very near the time of the murder, when his alibi had him in New Jersey at the time.

It was Ryan who'd finally cracked it. He'd taken the time and initiative to track down every camera within a block of the crime scene, gathered tape for an hour on either side of their window, and had poured through every bit of that tape until he saw James Nagrosi crossing Eleventh behind the bank customer who'd been using the ATM at the time.

She took a sip of espresso, once again thanking Castle in her mind for the gift he'd made of that machine to the 12th, so long ago. She never intended to go back to the monkey pee/battery acid blend of the old days, not if she could help it. He glanced over at his empty chair, wishing that he was around to bug the hell out of her, pulling her pigtails as it were, and generally making himself a nuisance, but also relieving the drudgery of her endless reports and forms.

She needed a short break from the paperwork, and she knew it, settling back in her chair, coffee in hand, letting her mind wander a bit. It was quiet in the squad room. Esposito and Ryan had headed over to Remy's to get burgers for lunch. They'd asked her to go, but offered instead to bring something back for her when she'd refused. She wondered how Castle's morning meeting with Paula, his Agent, had gone. She'd been pressing him to expand the book tour he was scheduled for next month, which coincided, of course, with the release of the fifth Nikki Heat book, _Can You Feel the Heat?_. After the meeting, he'd planned to go home and write for a while. He was two chapters behind on the sixth book, _In the Heat of the Moment_.

She took another sip of espresso and smiled to herself, remembering how excited he'd been the night before as he described a new scene he'd been concocting while they readied themselves for bed. Of course, that all flew right out of both of their minds quickly enough when she started kissing his neck. Two years in, and there was rarely a night that they could keep their hands off one another. That thought just expanded the smile.

Her reverie was broken by the ringing of her cell phone. She tilted her chair forward again and set her coffee back on the desk. She didn't recognize the number, or the area code for that matter. She pressed the answer button and held the offending object up to her ear, giving her standard greeting, "Beckett."

"Hey, Kate…it's Seely Booth." Her signal was weak, and the connection staticy enough that she didn't quite make out the serious tone of his voice.

"Booth," she said. "Let me guess, you're coming back up to New York and you want Rick and I to clean you out at the poker table again?"

"Not this time," he said, and as the connection cleared a bit, she could hear the tone of his voice this time. "I need to tell you something. Is Rick with you?"

Kate felt that drop in the pit of her stomach, the one that comes when you ride a wild roller coaster in the dark and don't see the dip coming, or when you are rushing somewhere and don't realize just how fast you were going until you see the lights flashing behind you, only this was worse than that, much worse.

"No," she answered, hearing the tightness of her own voice now, as well as his. "He's writing today." Somehow she just knew. The next sentence came out flat, as emotionless as she could force herself to be, because she knew that when the emotions finally got the best of her, she'd be near useless for a while. "It's Alexis, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he said in a subdued near-whisper.

"She's not dead," Kate said. It wasn't a question, but rather a statement, one she made while fanning the tiny spark of hope in her core, praying she was right.

"We don't know yet," he answered honestly. "I hope not."

"What happened?"

"Her roommate's mother is a friend, the FBI's chief ME, Camille Saroyan. She works with Bones at the Jeffersonian." He paused to take a breath, and to steel himself for what he had to say next. Kate waited silently. "She got nervous when Michelle missed a lunch date and called me when she couldn't find her at the girls' dorm room. It turns out that they never made it home from a party Wednesday night."

"Anything else you can tell me?"

"Not yet," Booth said. "I just found out myself in the last half hour." After a very brief pause, he added, "I'm on this, and so is DCPD, but I think that you and Rick should come down here."

"Yeah," Kate said, though there was very little force in her voice. "Thanks for the call."

"I'll see you guys soon," he said. "Call me when you get in." He ended their connection. Kate just stared at her cell phone, fighting off the tears. She'd come to love the Castles, all of them. She and Rick might not be married yet, nor even engaged, but Martha was already a mother to her, and Alexis was like a combination of daughter and younger sister. She couldn't bear the thought of the sweet young girl being hurt, or scared, or…..God,…..how was she going to tell Rick? She wasn't even aware that the tears she'd been holding back had begun to fall.

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Roy Montgomery was in his office, going over reports from Detectives Karpowski and Reynolds, regarding an ongoing investigation, when the little hairs at the back of his neck started to bristle. He looked out the window of his door, into the squad room. Beckett was the only one out there, at least the only one he could see. She'd just picked up her cell phone.

He could see it develop, the way her body stiffened, he moved to the door of his office and opened it, but he didn't step out. He saw the unshed tears gather, and glistening in her eyes, but he was too far from her desk to overhear the conversation on her side. She was speaking in a low voice, obviously fighting for control of her own emotions.

She was the best Detective who'd ever worked under his command, and he'd rarely seen her as shaken as she clearly was right at that moment. Hell, she hadn't been so upset after her apartment blew up, with her inside. The only time he could recall was when she'd been forced to kill Dick Coonan to save Castle's life. At the time, Coonan had been her only known link to her mother's killer.

He watched as Beckett held the phone, her conversation clearly over, and tears began to slide down her cheeks. She looked up and saw him standing there, watching her. She took a couple of deep breaths, wiped her cheeks dry with her sleeve, and then got up and walked past him, into his office, without being asked.

He closed the door while she sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. Rather than going around and sitting behind the desk, he pulled another chair over, as close to hers as he could manage, and he sat facing her.

"Beckett…Kate," he began, unsure of how to proceed, "you know that you're the best Detective I have." He paused for a second before going on. "Over the years, you've become much more than that. I feel like you are one of my own daughters." He took Kate's hands into his own. She looked up at him, her eyes getting red from the tears. Montgomery went on, "Kate, I don't know what just happened, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I am here to listen if you want to talk."

Kate had almost composed herself. She took a few deep breaths. Montgomery waited patiently. Kate squeezed his hands back and then set about explaining what she'd learned from Booth. To the Captain's credit, he didn't interrupt her with comments or questions. He just let her say what she had to say.

When she finished, Montgomery said, "You're on temporary assignment, as of the moment you walk out of this building. I'll have Esposito and Ryan cover things here."

"Thank you, Sir," she said, sniffling once, and then blowing her nose into a Kleenex she'd gotten from a box on the corner of his desk.

"You have to go tell Castle."

"Yes, I do."

As she rose from the chair, Montgomery said, "If you need anything Detective,…Kate,…don't hesitate to call. If you need them, I'll find a way to make your team available to you. I'll come as well, if you need me."

"Thank you Roy," she said.

"Now go. I'll explain things to the boys."

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Rick Castle sat in his office, his fingers flying over the keys on his laptop. He'd been in a groove for the better part of the last two hours, completing more than fourteen pages. Nikki Heat had just found a key piece of evidence in her latest case, one which would lead to another, and then another, until it was all blown wide open.

He heard the sound of a key in the lock and glanced at the clock on the far wall. It was just after one o'clock. It was much too early for Kate to be home from work. Maybe Martha had cut her shopping trip short. He tapped a few keys, saving the work he'd completed. As he rose from his desk chair, he sensed her in the doorway. He didn't need to look up. He just knew. There was a charge in the air, a current, which he only felt when he was near her. Not to mention the faint scent of cherries that wafted toward him.

"Did you stop by for a little afternoon delight, Detective," he asked, without looking up, as he closed his laptop.

"Rick…"

His eyes rose to meet hers. If the tone of her voice hadn't been enough to tell him that something serious was wrong, her awkward stance in the doorway, her arms crossed over her breasts, and the way she couldn't quite meet his eyes were certainly enough.

He crossed the room to her and put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. "Tell me what's wrong," he said, his voice, for once, completely serious.

"Rick," she began again, looking up at him, the tears back in her eyes. "Booth called me at work. Alexis has been missing for two days."

She hadn't wanted to just come out with it like that, but she was afraid she'd break down before getting it out. The giant sobs that wracked her body immediately after showed her that she was right. He held her tighter, and she held him just as tight. His own shoulder shook just a bit, but she was surprised by just how quickly he managed to regain his self-control. She'd expected him to totally freak out. Past experience said he'd immediately assume the worst, then slowly reign himself back in, not that she'd be able to blame him this time.

He maneuvered them both to the loveseat in the office and said, "Tell me everything."

His face seemed calm, as did his posture, but despite the calm outward front, she could read the terror in his eyes. She took a deep breath, wiped away her own tears, and told him, about her call with Booth, and her discussion with the Captain.

"We should pack," Rick said.

"She's going to be okay, Rick," Kate said.

"I know," he said, continuing up the stairs. He had his cell phone out and began talking. "Ronnie, Rick Castle. I need to hire you for a flight in two hours." There was a short pause before he disappeared down the hall, "Washington," he said.

She hustled up the stairs behind him to pack. He was right, the sooner they got packed and on their way to D.C., the sooner they could join the search for the missing girls.

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While Castle and Beckett were packing, Seely Booth was walking into the Hoover Building. He rode the elevator up to the 6th floor, to the office of Supervisory Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell.

Fornell was an important man at the Bureau. His name was one of a handful in the mix to replace the Deputy Director, when he retired in a few months, and if Booth had been interested in wagering on the outcome, he'd have put his money on Fornell.

There was no sign of Fornell's assistant. He knocked once on the doorframe, though the door to the office was open, before entering. Fornell was on the phone, and he motioned for Booth to sit in one the chairs in front of his desk, which he did.

"Agent Booth," Fornell said, "thank you for coming in so quickly."

"Sir," Booth replied, "I came as soon as I got your message, but I was at a crime scene, and I'd very much like to get back to it."

"I know all about your crime scene," Fornell said.

"How is that, Sir?"

"Let's dispense with the Sir, and the Agent Booth. I'll call you Seely, and I'm Tobias. Is that acceptable to you?" Booth just nodded, his unanswered question still hanging in the air. Every minute he spent here, with Tobias, was another minute Michelle's abductors had to get farther away.

"You'll have the answer to your question in just a moment," Fornell said, as he gestured to his assistant, who'd just returned to her desk, outside his door. She set a few files on her own desk and then brought in two of them, handing one to each of the F.B.I. men.

"Thank you, Sharon," Fornell said. "Could you get us a couple of coffees, please?"

"Of course, Sir," she answered, her voice wispy and pleasant. "How do you take your coffee, Agent Booth?"

"Black, one sugar, please," he answered, somewhat curtly. She didn't seem to mind, simply nodding and smiling before heading off to get the refreshments. Booth said, "Tobias, I really need to…"

Before he could finish, Fornell cut him off. "I understand about your crime scene, Seely. You have a connection to one of those girls."

"I know them both, actually."

"Technically, I should pull you from the case," Tobias said.

"Hey, now just wait a minute…" 

Before Booth could finish his retort, Fornell held up a finger to cut him off. "I'm not pulling you off," he said, just as Sharon returned with their coffees, handing Booth's mug to him and setting Fornell's on the corner of his desk.

Fornell gestured to the file in front of Booth. "It would seem that your case is just the tip of the iceberg." As Booth reached for the file and opened it, Fornell continued. "There has been a rash of disappearances over the last four days, from Boston to Atlanta. By our count, including your two probable victims, there have been twenty-three young women and two young men that have gone missing."

"Jesus," Booth whispered, flipping through the file.

"Exactly," Fornell said. "We have to assume that this is all connected somehow."

"Some sort of human trafficking network?" Booth asked.

"That is the assumption. The B.A.U. is working a serial killer in the Pittsburgh area, but I asked them to give the file a quick review. Their assessment is just that. Most likely a large group, and the abductions are about business, probably the sex trade. I arranged for them to send one of their people to be a part of your team, Prentiss I think."

"My team?" Booth asked.

"Your team."

"But, Sir," Booth began.

"I convinced the Deputy-Director to set up a Task Force. I have overall command. You'll run the field op for the Bureau. In addition to S.S.A. Prentiss, who will serve as your second in command, I've pulled twelve agents here in D.C., as well as half-a-dozen in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Atlanta, everywhere there have been disappearances."

"What about local Law Enforcement in these cities?" Booth asked.

"Your call," Tobias said, "if you want to include locals in the Task Force, under your command."

"Any other Agencies involved?"

"Not yet. If you feel a need to bring someone else in, I'll back you on it."

Booth continued flipping through the file. "Why did you choose me for this assignment?" he asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on you," Fornell said, "ever since that I-95 case a few years back. Your work has been very impressive, and I'm not the only one who has noticed."

"Thanks," Booth nodded. His eyes narrowed a bit and his brow wrinkled.

"Unless I'm mistaken," Fornell said, "you've got an idea forming." He waited patiently for Booth to respond.

"You just gave me an idea," Booth responded. Fornell simply nodded once, encouraging him to share in his own time. "You said that bringing in help from outside the Bureau would be my call, right?" 

Fornell was no fool. Considering what they'd been discussing when the inspiration obviously hit Booth, it took no time at all for his to add two and two to get four. "You're thinking of bringing in Jethro," he said.

Booth nodded. "He's probably the best investigator I've ever worked with."

"If you tell him I said so, I'll deny it," Fornell said, "but me too."

Booth's eyes narrowed again, although this time it was less inspiration, and more concern. "The problem is we have no Navy connection."

"I'll talk to Jethro and Director Vance," Fornell said. "I think I can probably get them on board. The question is can you handle Jethro?"

"Yes," Booth said, nothing else, simple and confident.

"Anything else you think I should know?" Fornell asked.

"I already called Detective Beckett, from New York. She and Richard Castle are on their way down."

"You plan on folding them into the Task Force?"

"I do now, Sir."

"Find those young folks, Seely. My guess is that you're going to be on clock, and we don't know the deadline."

"Yes Sir, I believe that is correct. And Tobias, thanks for this."

Fornell nodded in response as he picked up the phone and dialed his Secretary. Booth turned on his heel and headed out to start organizing his command. "Sharon," Fornell said to his secretary, "Call over to Director Vance at N.C.I.S. Tell him that I'm on the way over for an urgent meeting with him and Special Agent Gibbs, and arrange for a car for me downstairs."

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Alexis and Michelle sat huddled close together. They were in a large barn, locked inside in a stall, with three other girls, each of them with their own pallet of blankets. Two of the girls with them were from Atlanta, and the other from Baltimore.

After their stop at the farm in Virginia, they'd been fed and then bundled back into the van and driven for several more hours before they were unloaded here. They were untied and shoved into the stall. The two girls from Atlanta, Melissa and Karen, had been inside before they arrived. Cheryl, from Baltimore had joined them a few hours later.

The men hadn't worn masks when they fed the girls at the farm in Virginia, and none of their captors wore masks here. Peeking out the barred door, Alexis had been able to see at least three large men, each wearing a semi-automatic pistol in a holster at their hips, or in the case of one guard, a shoulder rig.

To this point, her prayers had been answered, at least partially. They hadn't been rescued, but neither had they been sexually assaulted. Considering the number of girls here, they'd passed at least five other locked stalls on the way to this one, she was guessing that they hadn't been taken for sexual purposes, at least not for the sexual gratification of their abductors. However, she also didn't believe that they'd been taken for ransom. Her Dad had plenty of money, but Michelle's adopted Mother surely didn't have a lot. Melissa's folks ran a small video store. Karen's Dad was a surgeon, so he probably had some money, but Cheryl's Dad was a painter and her Mom a secretary.

One thought was all that was keeping her from losing it completely, the same thought that she'd been clinging to since this nightmare had begun, _Dad and Kate will find us_.


	3. Chapter 3

A bit of a short chapter here. Hope you all enjoy. I've gotten a short way into chapter 4. I hope to have that one up by sometime early next week. That one should be longer.

**MERCHANDISE – Chapter Two – "Professional Courtesy"**

Gibbs and DiNozzo rode the elevator up from Abby's lab to the bullpen in silence. Gibbs was busy thinking about how he intended to break Hal Musgrave in Interrogation. Tony was fiddling with his new smart phone. Regardless of whether Gibbs could break him or not, Musgrave's goose was cooked. He'd resisted arrest, and the blood sample that Tony had collected from the pavement, a result of a minor laceration, would tie him to the murder of Petty Officer Lauren Wood, but Gibbs wanted the confession anyway. He always did.

The doors opened and they both stepped out into the orange painted hallway, Tony slipping his phone back into the little leather belt case that held it. McGee was still with Abby, and Ziva had run out to pick them up a late lunch from the Chinese place down the street. Only Kate should have been in the bullpen, finishing up on the background for Musgrave. They were both surprised to find Director Vance standing at Kate's desk and getting an update from her.

"Ah, Gibbs," he said, "you brought in Musgrave?"

"Yeah," the MCRT leader said, maneuvering around Vance to reach his own desk. "He's in Interrogation."

"Any doubt that he's the right man?" Vance asked.

"Nope," Gibbs said. "My gut says he did it."

Tony jumped in, "Abby is running a DNA test right now that will prove it beyond any doubt…not that I would ever doubt your gut, Boss."

"Good," Vance said. "Gibbs, we have a guest in my office. I need you for this meeting."

"I'm on my way to interrogate Musgrave," Gibbs said as he slid his Sig into his top, right hand desk drawer.

"Agent Todd can handle that," Vance said. Before Tony could ask why he hadn't been chosen, Vance continued. "You and I, and Agent DiNozzo, are going to have a little chat with Agent Fornell."

Kate looked to Gibbs, who nooded that she should, indeed take the Interrogation. "What does the FBI want this time?" Gibbs asked as Kate started for the elevator.

"They want a favor," Vance replied, somewhat cryptically, "and I'm inclined to agree, but only with your say so. It is your team, after all."

DiNozzo's brow furrowed as he considered the Director's statement. In general, since he'd joined NCIS, there had been more animosity and dirty tricks between NCIS and FBI than any real sense of fraternity and cooperation. Of course, Gibbs and Fornell had proven on a few occasions that they could set aside their differences and work together, when it was truly required. He wondered if this would be one of those times. He followed his two superiors up the stairs and into the Director's office.

Fornell was sitting at the small conference table in Vance's office, sipping at a cup of coffee that he'd brought with him. Three more cups sat on the corner of the table, along with a small paper sack with small packets of cream and sugar. He stood when the other men entered, extending a hand. "Jethro," he said.

"Tobias," Gibbs responded, shaking the offered hand, and then a cup of coffee before sitting opposite the FBI man.

Having already greeted the Director, Fornell offered his hand to Tony next, "Di-Notzo."

"Toby," Tony said. He shook Fornell's hand and set about making himself the sickly sweet coffee that Gibbs could never understand.

Once everyone was settled, Director Vance decided it was time to get the ball rolling. "Agent Fornell has requested that your team be temporarily assigned to his FBI task force, Gibbs."

Tony nearly choked on his sip of coffee, and Gibbs' eyes narrowed dangerously as he glared across the table at Fornell. Before he could turn said death glare on Vance, the Director continued, "I'm inclined to agree with his request." Tony's eyes, which he'd have wagered a year's salary could not get bigger, near doubled in size. Even the unflappable L.J. Gibbs seemed just the tiniest bit surprised. "However," Vance went on, "I intend to leave the decision up to you. It is your team, and there is no true Navy connection here that I can see."

Gibbs looked across the table to Fornell, "What is this about, Tobias?"

Fornell reached down to the briefcase that rested beside his chair, setting it on the table in front of him. He removed three thick manila file folders, sliding one across the table to each of the three men seated with him. "Director Murray authorized me to set up a new Task Force this morning," he said as Tony and Gibbs opened the files and began to leaf through them. The Director had already reviewed an electronic copy.

"Twenty-five kids in the last week," DiNozzo said, letting a slow whistle escape through his teeth.

"Human trafficking," Gibbs said. "What makes this something NCIS would devote resources to?"

"Nothing," Tobias answered honestly. "I'm here for more personal reasons." Gibbs quirked an eyebrow at that remark and took another sip of his coffee. "I'm overseeing the Task Force, but Director Murray wants me to stay in D.C., so I chose another Agent to head it up."

"I take it we know this Agent?" Gibbs said.

"Oh, God," Tony said, "not Sacks! Please don't let it be Sacks!"

"Relax, DiNotzo," Tobias said, "Agent Sacks transferred to the Chicago office two months ago. Seely Booth is in charge, and he wants your team on the Task Force."

"Why?" The question was from the Director, but it was the exact one Gibbs had intended to ask next.

"He respects you, Gibbs," Tobias answered.

"That can't be the only reason you agreed to it," Gibbs said.

"You're a great investigator."

"That's true, Boss," Tony put in. "Besides, Booth is one of the few FBI guys we've met who isn't a total douche. No offense, Toby."

"None taken, DiNotzo."

"What haven't you told us yet?" Gibbs asked.

"Check the list of victims," Tobias said. "As I understand it, you know one of the possible victims." Gibbs flipped through the file until he found the name.

"Alexis Castle," he paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath. "Damn." 

"Booth caught that case this morning. She's been missing since Wednesday night," Fornell said.

Gibbs looked to Vance with a weighing expression.

"It's your call, Gibbs," the Director said.

"You'd be reporting to Booth," Fornell said, "and he'd be reporting to me."

"Tony," Gibbs said, "go downstairs and brief the team."

"On it, Boss," DiNozzo said, scooping up his copy of the file, and Vance's as well on his way out. "You don't mind, right Director?" He took Vance's silence as agreement.

When DiNozzo was gone, Gibbs asked, "Your Director agreed to this?"

"I had to do a little tap dance, but in the end…" Tobias said, ending with a shrug.

"Who else is in on this?" Gibbs asked.

"So far," Fornell responded, "Booth has a dozen Agents here in Washington, and half-a-dozen in Boston, New York, Philly, Baltimore and Atlanta. The BAU is sending an Agent to advise Booth, most likely Emily Prentiss."

"We've worked with her before. She's good," Gibbs said, at Vance's questioning look. "Local LEOs?"

Fornell said, "D.C. Metro has a Detective named Cheney. Beckett and Castle are flying down from New York. I believe you know them all. The names for the Boston, Philly, Baltimore and Atlanta guys are in the file."

"Let's get started," Gibbs said, standing and moving toward the door. Fornell followed him.


	4. Chapter 4

So, my muse decided to return from her vacation, at least for tonight. Hopefully she'll be here for an extended stay. This is not an overly long chapter, but it does lay the groundwork for the next few, and for the investigation to get going in earnest. As I mentioned before, there will be many different crossovers, some seeing the characters from other shows/books lasting only a chapter or two, and some much longer. I do not know the first thing about the Hoover Building. The descriptions, from the number of floors to the conference auditorium are made up for this story. I hope it is all believable enough. Bonus points for anyone who recognizes where the character of the Senior Deputy-Director of the FBI is from. I wanted this story to have an epic feel to it, spanning many cities & states, and involving many Police Departments & Agencies. Hopefully, it won't be too much, especially since the folks of NCIS, Bones & Castle will continue to be the core group. Let me know what you think. I have no problem with flames, if you think they are deserved. The only way for me to know if I'm doing something wrong after all, or something right for that matter, is for you al l to tell me. Reminder: this is the fourth story in a series, beginning w/ the Long Lie, moving through Convergence & Johanna's Story and into Merchandise. It is not necessarily required of you to read those other stories to enjoy Merchandise, but some of the references & anomalies might make more sense if you have. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, or signed up w/ Favorites or Alerts. It is always appreciated when someone takes the time to respond, good or bad, G

BTW- I cannot recommend highly enough a pair of Castle stories that I have become addicted to in the last few months. Finding Innocence by FanficwriterGHC & Therapy by Jenrose1. Two very talented writers & two tremendous stories.

**MERCHANDISE – Chapter Three – "Rule #38, Your Case, Your Lead"**

Less than an hour later, the NCIS MCRT team was pulling up to the Hoover Building in a pair of dark blue Dodge sedans. They piled out, forming into a small group behind Gibbs, Abby included. Gibbs had insisted that she be temporarily assigned to the team at FBI as well.

When they reached the conference room on the fifth floor, which looked more like a mini-movie theatre, they found it fairly crowded already, despite seating for several dozen. Booth was up on the raised dais at the front, along with Emily Prentiss from the BAU, and Fornell, of course. Detective Cheney sat in a seat in the second row, though the rest of his team had been relegated to the standing area in the back, along the wall. At least twenty FBI agents were present as well.

The NCIS crew found some seats near the front, a few Feebies sliding over to allow them to sit together. Booth, seeing them arrive waved Gibbs up with him. "Thanks for coming," he said, by way of greeting, offering the silver-haired agent his hand, which he shook, his grip firm and steady. "You're okay with my being on point?"

"Rule thirty-eight," Gibbs said.

When Booth looked confused, DiNozzo supplied him with the relevant information. "Rule thirty-eight is: You're case, you're lead." Booth nodded his appreciation to the older man.

The door at the back of the room opened again, Castle and Beckett entering, wearing visitor's badges, like the DC cops & the NCIS folks. Booth and Gibbs both moved to greet them, assuring Rick that they were doing everything possible to find Alexis.

The icy feeling in his heart was not diminished by their words, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he marveled at the gathered law-enforcement talent. As Gibbs and Booth stepped away, back up to the dais, Jordan Shaw & Special Agent Jason Avery moved in, offering their own greetings & assurances, after which Jordan joined the group on the dais, & Avery directed Rick & Kate to a trio of seats at the end of the third row, sitting with them.

One of the last to enter the room was a tall, but fit man in his early sixties, his dark hair gone grey at the temples, with an air of command about him. He took a seat in the center of the front row, which a Feebie had been keeping clear for him.

With Senior Deputy Director Murray in his seat, Fornell brought the briefing to order, stepping to a lectern, set just to the center-right of the dais. He spoke, his somewhat gravelly voice carrying via the imbedded microphone to everyone in the room easily. "Thank you all for arriving so promptly," he said. "There is no time to lose on this case. I am Deputy-Director Tobias Fornell, in charge of the DC Office, and by order of Senior Deputy-Director Murray," he gestured to the distinguished-looking man in the front row, "I'll be in charge of this task force."

He took a sip from a glass of water hidden on a shelf at the back of the lectern before continuing. "This is Task Force: Falcon," he said. "The objective is to locate what we believe to be a ring of human traffickers working up and down the east coast, to identify them, and shut them down, but most importantly to recover safely some twenty-five young women and men that we believe to be in the hands of these individuals."

He turned to the seats behind him, gesturing for Booth to step forward. "This is Special Agent-in-Charge, Seely Booth, from the DC Bureau Office. He will be running point on this case. Please hold all questions until he has completed his briefing." With that, Fornell stepped back, taking the seat that Booth had vacated, next to Gibbs.

"Thank you, Deputy-Director Fornell," Booth said, clearing his throat once. "If you will all take a look at the briefing packets that have been tucked into the seats in front of you," he began, noting that many of those assembled had already begun leafing through them before he'd asked, "please turn to page one. This is a list of the various Agencies, and the senior personnel from those Agencies who will be involved in this case. Note the numbers, and add them to your phone contacts list. Communication will be paramount. In addition to those folks we have here, I've listed the Bureau Heads for the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Atlanta Offices."

"I'll be in charge of this investigation. The Agent directly below me will be Special Agent Gibbs, of NCIS." He gestured to Gibbs, who half stood from his seat, allowing everyone to mark him out. "Any order he gives will be like my own, for FBI, NCIS, local police departments, anyone." There was some muted grumbling amongst the gathered FBI folk, which quieted quickly when SD-D Murray turned to look back.

Booth went on to take his team through the entire packet, including pictures & brief dossiers on the twenty-two young women & three young men who'd gone missing up and down the east coast in the last twenty-five days. When he'd finished, he opened up the floor to questions.

"Do we have any substantial leads," SD-D Murray asked, the others allowing him the honor of speaking first.

Booth responded, "I believe there are three solid leads, and numerous secondary avenues for us to look into. We will, of course, look into every possibility, but time seems to be of the essence here, so I'll just cover the three primary leads here, and assign agents for the others immediately following the briefing," he said.

"The first of our strong possibilities is from Roanoke, Virginia," he said. A man's body was found by a hunter in the woods, a short distance from State Route twenty-four. He'd been shot twice, and according to Roanoke's local ME, his body was moved and dumped."

"Why do you think this relates to the case?" Detective Beckett asked, after raising her hand and receiving a nod from Booth.

"Roanoke PD ran his fingerprints, and we came up with a hit. He was fingerprinted by customs when he entered the country from the Ukraine four months ago. His name was Igor Tarlesky."

DiNozzo piped up then, "Is there a Russian, or Ukrainian connection we don't know about?"

"You'll understand in a moment," Booth said, though not harshly. DiNozzo simply nodded and looked into the file a bit more. "I've arranged for the body to be sent to the Jeffersonian, where a thorough investigation will take place."

He took a sip of water before continuing. "Second lead, the body of a young woman was recovered from a Lake Norman, in western North Carolina, outside of Charlotte. This occurred just a few hours ago, but she's been tentatively identified as Marianne Weber, one of the earliest victims." Castle let out a sigh of relief, but no more than Beckett, whose nails were digging into his hand.

" I've dispatched a team already to recover the body," Booth said. "Doctor Mallard of NCIS will be performing the autopsy. He is with our team on the plane to Charlotte."

"Finally, our strongest lead is another that occurred within the past twelve hours. Our field office in Boston passed on information about an attempted abduction very early this morning, which was thwarted by a pair of civilians. Boston PD has been co-operating with our office,"

"Civilians," Gibbs said, a questioning tone in his voice.

"Sort of," Booth answered. "One was a local PI, and the other a leg-breaker for the Boston mobs. They were out jogging first thing in the morning, along the Charles River, and happened upon a trio of men trying to drag a young woman into a panel van. They interceded in her behalf, shot two of the men, though the driver sped off."

"And the young woman," Caitlyn Todd asked.

"She is shaken up, but safe," Booth said.

"The kidnappers?" The question was from Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss.

"Both dead," Booth said. "Boston PD is putting their chief ME on it. The guy I spoke to is a Captain, named Quirk. He'll be expecting our team, & has assured the head of the local Bureau Office, Nathan Epstein, full co-operation. The kicker is that both of the dead guys were Russian."

"That explains why you think the guy from Roanoke might be connected," Ziva David said. "How did Boston figure that out."

"One of the kidnappers lived long enough to say a few words," Booth replied. "The PI couldn't make it out, but he thought it was Russian. The other one had a tattoo in the Cyrillic alphabet."

"What about the PI and this leg-breaker?" DiNozzo asked.

"Captain Quirk assures me that both are stand-up guys," Booth said, "and they'll help in any way they can. PI's name is Spenser. The other one goes by the name Hawk. No last name."

"When was the last time a Police Captain called a leg-breaker a stand-up guy?" DiNozzo whispered to his teammates.

"Agent Shaw," Booth said, "I need you to take Agent Avery, and Agents DiNozzo and David to Boston. Get all the info you can. Captain Quirk has assigned the first Detective on the scene of the attempted abduction as our Liaison on this Task Force, a Detective Rizzoli. Interview the victim, & both witnesses. Check in with the ME & see what you can find out. Make arrangements for the body to get back to the Jeffersonian when she is done with it. I want our folks to double-check everything."

"What about forensic support?" Abby Sciuto asked.

"I'm going to have you set up in the Jeffersonian, with my team of squints," Booth said. "The investigation will use that as a home base. Agents McGee and Todd will join Agent Sacks in Roanoke to investigate the man found in the woods. I believe you've all worked together before." A pair of nods confirmed his statement.

"Agent Pratt and her team are on the way to Charlotte with Dr. Mallard. They will head things up there for now. Let's get moving on this folks," Booth said, setting most of the folks in the room in motion.

Castle and Beckett rose as one. "What about us?" Castle asked.

Booth stepped down to them. "For now, you are the NYPD Liaison. I can't put you in the field on this. You're too close to it." Castle looked ready to object, but no more so than Beckett. Booth stalled them with a raised finger. "You'll be here with me, and with Gibbs for now. You'll get all the information we get. We will find her."

Neither really liked the idea of not being out there, pounding the ground, but both also saw the advantages of being at the center of the Task Force. Gibbs joined the group, squeezing Castle's shoulder.

"Talk with Detective Cheney," Gibbs said, gesturing to the DC man, who'd gathered with his own team, near the door. "He's the DC/Metro liaison, & he's the one who caught the case when Alexis was reported missing. He'll have details of their investigation to this point."

"Thanks," Kate and Castle said simultaneously, moving quickly toward Cheney.

"We gotta get these guys quick," Booth said.

"Yup," Gibbs replied. "Let's get to the Jeffersonian and go through these files with a fine-toothed comb." They both moved toward the door, Abby and Prentiss in tow.


	5. Chapter 5

My original plan was to put all three of these locations into 1 post, but this one came out to be roughly twice as long as my original estimation, so I'll put this up as Chapter 4, & try to squeeze the other 2 sites into Chapter 5. Hope you are all still enjoying. My muse is still working only part-time, & only at odd hours. This chapter was written between 1 & 3 am on Friday night. Thanks for hanging in w/ me. As always, all reviews are appreciated, both good 7 bad. How else do we know where we made mistakes. Enjoy, G

**MERCHANDISE – Chapter Four – "Connections: Boston"**

BOSTON:

The warmer than normal temperatures in the DC area certainly didn't carry over to Boston. In Beantown, there was a noticeable chill in the air. Ziva was glade she'd remembered to bring a light jacket. She zipped it up and slipped her hands into the pockets as she and Tony followed Agents Shaw & Avery off the F.B.I.'s jet and into the jet way at Logan Airport.

There was a local F.B.I. Agent waiting for them at theGate, his credentials having allowed him past security to do so. None of them had much more than a small duffel to carry. The local Agent, Kevin Timmerson, led them out through the terminal to a dark Suburban, which was idling at the curb. The group piled in, and the they were immediately on their way to the Federal Building. Their driver, Agent Wiley, informed them that the Head of the local Office had requested that they stop there first for a short briefing. Jordan simply nodded her agreement.

Wiley had the blue light on his dash flashing, but didn't bother with the siren. As a result, they cut through the normally choking Boston traffic with relative ease, pulling up outside the Federal Building less than fifteen minutes after leaving the airport. Agent Timmerson escorted the DC group inside and up the elevator to a conference room on the fifth floor.

When Jordan's team stepped off the elevator, she turned straight toward the conference room. This wasn't her first visit to the Boston Field Office. Avery, DiNozzo & David followed right behind her. Agent Timmerson caught up, moving ahead slightly to hold the door open for them.

The room was fairly large, with a large oval table, and perhaps fifteen relatively comfortable looking chairs. A large whiteboard sat at one end. There was also a sturdy-looking rolling cart in the corner, with a large flat-screen set up on it. The glass wall was frosted, preventing anyone in the hall from seeing what was going on inside. Another cart was covered with coffee mugs and water glasses. Two glass carafes of icy water, with condensation running down the side, and two pots of steaming hot coffee, one labeled decaf, sat on the cart, along with two boxes of assorted donuts. Jordan & Ziva walked by them, but DiNozzo scooped out a glazed, and Avery an old fashioned cake donut.

Six men and two women were already in the room. Most had a cup of coffee, or a water, and a few had also selected a donut, or two. They stood as Jordan's team entered. She moved directly to a slender man in a gray suit, with wire-rimmed glasses. "Nathan, it's been a long time." She took the hand he offered and shook it.

"It certainly has," he agreed. "You're looking well."

"Thank you," she said.

Nathan Epstein nodded to Agent Avery, whom he'd also met once before. "I suppose introductions are in order before we start," he said. "This is Supervisory Special Agent Jordan Shaw and Supervisory Special Agent Jason Avery," he said.

Jordan jumped in at that point and introduced Special Agents DiNozzo & David, of N.C.I.S.

"My name is Nathan Epstein," he said, mainly for the benefit of the two N.C.I.S. Agents. "I'm the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Boston Field Office. This is Special Agent Andrews, he gestured to the man seated to his right. He appeared fairly young until one caught a glance of his eyes. They were hard, & without a doubt they had seen some bad things in life.

Epstein went on, gesturing to two men and a woman a bit further down the table. This is Captain Martin Quirk, the B.P.D. Homicide Commander, and his partner, Sergeant Frank Belson, as well as B.P.D. Detective Jane Rizzoli. Quirk was a large man, with broad shoulders, who looked like he'd just shaved. His hair was cut precisely. There was a clear crease in the pants of his dark suit, and his shirt was starched & snowy white. He wore a yellow tie, and had a matching throw in the breast pocket of his suit coat. Belson was roughly the same height, but thinner by some thirty pounds than Quirk. He had a blue shadow of beard, though it was only 3 o'clock or so. He chewed on half of an unlit cigar, and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. He wore a red tie, but loosely. Detective Rizzoli was tall and slender, beautiful with dark brown eyes and brunette hair that fell in natural curls past her shoulders. She had on a black button down shirt and a black leather jacket over grey slacks. DiNozzo certainly noticed her, but then again, so did Avery. Fact was most men did.

Epstein gestured to the other side of the table, across from the B.P.D. group. This is Mr. Spenser & Hawk, our witnesses and good Samaritans, and Rita Fiore." Spenser was a large man with dark hair and blue eyes. Jordan judged him to be somewhere in his forties. He wasn't bad-looking, but he'd never be on a calendar either. His hands were large and callused, and it was clear that his nose had been broken several times. She'd guess that the other man, Hawk, was in the same rough age range. His head was shaved, and his skin was dark. He was slender through the waist, but his upper body fairly rippled with muscles, even through the long-sleeved t-shirt he wore. Much like Tony and Det. Rizzoli, Ziva certainly noticed Hawk. Rita Fiore was stunning, with a long luxurious mane of red hair with just a bit of wave. She wore a gray suit, with the skirt cut a bit shorter than was probably necessary, but it showed off her legs, and Rita was certainly aware of how nice her legs were.

"Miss Fiore is an attorney here to watch out for Mr. Spenser & Mr. Hawk." He shook his head and chuckled. "It makes me laugh every time I have to call you Mr. Hawk," he said.

Hawk grinned at him and said, "Ah always enjoys it when you do."

The group took a few minutes to greet one another, some getting re-fills of coffee or water, some getting a first cup, but soon enough everyone was seated.

"Shall I go ahead and lead off?" Epstein asked Jordan.

"By all means," she said with a smile.

"Alright," he said, standing and looking once around the room. "Supervisory Special Agent Shaw and her team are here from Washington, investigating the disappearances of several young people, probably connected to a human trafficking ring. If I'm not mistaken, and please correct me if I am, Jordan, this ring has apparently been working all up and down the east coast, including here in Boston." He paused to give Jordan the chance to correct him before going on. "It seems highly likely that the incident in which Misters Spenser & Hawk were involved this morning might well be connected."

"I sure wouldn't bet against it," Belson said.

"Jordan," Epstein said, "why don't you take it from here?"

Without standing, Jordan said, "Captain Quirk, I have a list here that the Boston P.D. provided to F.B.I. with the names of three young women on it, along with incident reports. It seems they all went missing in the last seventy-two hours. Has anything changed on that front this afternoon?"

"No," Quirk said. "We've got people working all three cases, but no other reports of missing persons, and nothing substantial to report yet on the three we know of."

"The young woman that these gentlemen," she gestured to Spenser & Hawk, "rescued this morning, where is she at the moment?"

Before Quirk could answer, Spenser leaned to Hawk and whispered, "Gentlemen? She had to be talking about me. No one would ever mistake you for a gentleman." Hawk grinned in response.

"Do you think you could keep that smart mouth of yours in check, just for a few minutes?" Epstein said to Spenser.

"I'll try, but it doesn't happen often," came the big man's response.

Quirk just shook his head at them and answered Jordan's question. "She was taken to Boston General this morning. They checked her out and released her around noon. One of my Detectives drove her home, and we've had a unit outside her condo in the Back Bay all day." He confirmed the address for her.

"Thank you, Captain," Jordan said.

DiNozzo looked across the table to Detective Rizzoli. "The file says you were the first on scene, Detective?"

"Yes," she answered. Her voice was a little hoarse, kind of whispery in a way.

"Did she know her attackers, or any did she suspect any reason why they might have been after her?"

"No, she said she'd never seen either before. No suspicious people around lately, no phone calls, or cars driving by repeatedly, at least not that she noticed."

"And no enemies, no one who might want to harm her?" Avery asked.

"She claims no," Rizzoli said, glancing down at a small spiral notebook on the table in front of her. "No current boyfriend, no dates of late, she works at a coffee shop, no real work related motive there."

"Unless she botched up an order once too often," Spenser said. Rita Fiore laid a hand on his forearm & shook her head lightly, as if to say 'quiet'.

"What exactly happened, this morning?" Jordan asked. She directed the question at Spenser & Hawk.

"You tell her," Hawk said. "I step in if you forget anything."

Spenser faced the F.B.I. woman, the playfulness gone from his voice and manner. "We went out jogging early this morning, along the river."

"You do that often?" Avery asked.

"Yes," Spenser said, "but not always together." Avery nodded & made a note in his own little book. Spencer continued. We were jogging North on Storrow Drive, coming up on Boston University. The young woman, her name is Rachel Vincent, was jogging as well, some hundred yards or so ahead of us."

"Had either of you ever met Miss Vincent before this morning, or seen her jogging on another day?" Ziva asked, her thoughts jumping to Roy, the Nuclear Inspector she'd often seen while jogging her own route in DC, before he died.

"Neither of us ever met her before," Spenser said, looking to Hawk for confirmation, which he received in the form as a shake of the head. "I think I'd seen her running once or twice before, but I can't be sure."

"You often run along the river by B.U., early in the morning?" Rizzoli asked.

"Yes."

"Then you probably did, even if you weren't aware of it."

"She ran along the river regularly as well?" Jordan asked Rizzoli?

"Yes. I asked her that when I interviewed her at the hospital. She is a student at B.U., lives in the dorms there, and she runs along Storrow Drive three to four times per week, almost always between four and five a.m.."

Jordan nodded, then turned back to Spenser. "Please continue."

He took a sip of his coffee and said, "It was still pretty dark, and this dark colored van, black, drove past us, slowing down as it approached her. There is nowhere to turn off Storrow at that point, so we found it a little suspicious."

"What you mean we?" Hawk asked him. "You was busy thinking about making scramble for Susan. I point it out to you."

"Scrapple," Spenser said, "not scramble." Hawk nodded, then gestured for him to continue the story, which he did. "My erstwhile companion, having noticed the van slowing, we decided that the young lady might need some assistance, so we picked up our pace from a jog to a flat out run."

"Erstwhile," Quirk said over his shoulder to Belson, who chuckled.

"She noticed the van at the last moment, and stopped running, then started back in our direction. The side door opened & the two men jumped out. They tried to grab her, but we shouted, & they hesitated for a second."

"That one second too long against us," Hawk put in.

"I'd say so," Quirk added.

"One of the men went for a gun. He got off one shot at us," Spenser said. "We'd taken ours out when we started running, and we discouraged them from shooting at us again by shooting them."

"You both shot back?" This question was from Agent Avery.

"Yes," Spenser said. "I put down the one on the right, and Hawk put down the one on the left."

"What kind of weapons did they have?" from Jordan.

"They were both carrying Glock 9 millimeters," Belson said.

"And you were carrying?" from Avery

"I had a Smith & Wesson snub-nosed .38 in ankle holster," Spenser said. Hawk had a .380."

"This matches up with the forensics?" Avery asked the B.P.D. group.

"Yes," Quirk replied.

"Both men died?" Jordan again.

"Yes," from Spenser.

"What happened to the van?"

"It sped away when we shot the two men."

"Did you get a license plate, or a partial plate?" Ziva asked.

"No," Spenser said. "It was dark & if there even was a plate, they'd blacked out the light above it."

"Did you notice the make of the van?" from DiNozzo.

Spenser looked at Hawk. "Anything to add here?"

"Might've been a Ford, couldn't be sure though. Wasn't really watching it close until it started slowing down by the girl, & then it was too far away. We get closer, and they start shooting at us, I looking at them, not the van." Hawk shrugged his shoulders.

"The report we read said one of them spoke to you?" Jordan asked.

"The guy I shot was still breathing when we reached them," Spenser said. I tried to calm Rachel down while Hawk checked on the would-be abductors. The one still alive said something to him in Russian. One of the B.P.D. guys said it translated as 'bastard'. I guess they didn't like being shot."

"Anything you want to add, Detective?" David asked Rizzoli.

"That statement matches up with what Miss Vincent told me," Jane said. "When I got there ten minutes later, two uniforms had already arrived. They verified Mr. Spenser's identity and license to carry, and had put Mr. Hawk," Epstein chuckled again, "in cuffs."

"Your weapon was unlicensed?" Avery asked. Hawk shrugged in reply.

"I remembered having heard about these men, that they knew Captain Quirk, and since it was technically a double-homicide until I learned otherwise, I called him in," Rizzoli said.

"I came down to the scene, and ordered the unies to release Hawk," Quirk said. I left Detective Rizzoli in charge of the scene, and once I got the whole story from these two," Quirk tilted his head at Spenser and Hawk, "I remembered something about the other disappearances, so I called Nathan."

Epstein said, "I agreed that there was a likely connection, and I asked them to come in. When I found out you all were coming up from D.C., I figured we'd save some time if I had everyone here when you arrived."

"Thanks for that," Jordan said.

"There's one thing I want to make clear," Rita Fiore said. Spenser couldn't believe she'd remained quiet as long as she had.

Before she could go any further, Epstein cut in. "I was just getting to that," he said. "I've,…we've had occasion to work with Spenser and Hawk in the past." He gestured to himself, Quirk & Belson. "They can be wiseasses, especially Spenser."

"Aw shucks," Spenser said.

"However, they are both extremely capable, and when all is said and done, they are usually on the right side of things."

Avery said, "This man," he gestured at Hawk, "is suspected of dozens of crimes, and has a known reputation as a mob enforcer."

Epstein said, "Nobody's perfect. He did a noble thing today, & I guaranteed them that they would both walk out of here free men."

Jordan said, "Not to worry. I have no interest in arresting Mr. Hawk. My only interest in either of you at the moment is as witnesses."

"Good to hear," Spenser said.

"Sho' nuff," Hawk added.

Jordan turned to Quirk. "Between the Russian that the man spoke, &b the Cyrillic tattoos I read about in the report, it is pretty clear that these men were Russian. Are your people investigating a Russian mob connection?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't get my hopes up." Quirk leaned forward, with his elbows on the table, and the sleeves of his coat seemed to want to burst. "It's a pretty tight operation. We haven't had much success getting in yet."

"Have you identified either man?" David asked.

"No," from Quirk. "We're running prints and D.N.A. now, through the F.B.I. & Interpol. I'll probably take some time though."

"I'll see if I can speed that process up," Jordan said. "Where are the bodies of these men?" she asked.

"Chief Medical Examiner's Office," Quirk said.

"Dr. Maura Isles," Rizzoli put in. "She's excellent. If there is anything to find, she'll find it."

"I've heard of her," Jordan said. "I trust that she will. Regardless, once she's finished her initial exams, I have orders to have her transfer the bodies to D.C., to the Jeffersonian Institution. F.B.I. would like to have a look of their own. Can you handle that Detective?"

"Of course," Rizzoli said.

Jordan nodded. "You've assigned Detective Rizzoli as our Liaison?" she asked Quirk.

"I have."

"That will do just fine," she said. "We may have more questions for you later," to Hawk & Spenser.

"You can reach me through my loyal companion here," Hawk said.

"Yeah, wouldn't want us knowing how to find you directly," Belson said. Hawk flashed another grin. Spenser took a few cards from his pocket and handed them to the D.C. group.

"I think we're done here for the moment," Jordan said.

"You'll get us copies of all your reports?" DiNozzo asked Quirk.

"As soon as I get them, I'll pass them on to Nathan," he replied.

"Detective," Jordan said. "I'd like to see the scene myself, and then I suggest that if you haven't done so already, you go home and pack. You'll be heading back to D.C. with us, tonight.

Rizzoli nodded her acceptance. "I've got a go bag in my trunk."


	6. Chapter 6

AN: This is a fairly short chapter, but having finished it, I'm hoping to jump right into Chapter 6. It won't be too long before we see a few more familiar faces from other shows/books coming into play, mostly in a minor way. Being a huge Robert B. Parker, Spenser fan, I really enjoyed writing the Boston briefing w/ Hawk, Spenser, Quirk & the rest of that crew. I hope I did them justice. In the next chapter, we get to have a little bit of fun w/ the Squint Squad, plus Ducky & Abby. I'd like to apologize again, to anyone still bothering to read this, for the long delays between chapters. At least the Muse is starting to open up again a little. Hopefully she'll get back to work full-time soon, but I make no promises. Until then, enjoy, G

**MERCHANDISE – Chapter Five – "Connections: Charlotte / Roanoke"**

WASHINGTON DC:

Booth, Castle, Beckett & Dr. Brennan, who'd joined the others an hour earlier, were sitting in a conference room at the Jeffersonian, sorting through the assorted files of the missing people up and down the Atlantic seaboard, looking for anything that might connect them all. So far, they'd come up with exactly what everyone else who had tried came up with, zilch.

Gibbs was coming back down the hall to the conference room with a cardboard tray filled with coffee cups, the precious fuel for all of them, except Dr. Brennan of course, her choice was tea, when his cell phone started ringing.

He shouldered open the door & set the tray down on the edge of the table, pulling out the phone and holding it to his ear. "Yeah, Gibbs."

The conversation was fairly short, less than a minute. The others helped themselves to the cups he'd brought in. Gibbs finished his call, "Alright, Duck. Get back here as soon as possible." He flipped the phone closed and took his own seat.

"What did Dr. Mallard have to say?" Brennan asked, getting the question out before any of the other could.

Gibbs took a sip of his ridiculously strong coffee before answering. "He said that he skimmed the Charlotte M.E.'s report and he thinks the man was somewhat less than thorough. He's flying back w/ the body now. He'll go over everything again when he gets here."

"Good," Booth said. "Agent Todd called in from Roanoke as well, while you were out. They examined the crime scene, collected all the evidence collected by local P.D. and the M.E., and interviewed everyone involved. She said they didn't see much that stands out. Agent Prior is leaving a couple of this team there to continue poking around, but he, Todd & McGee are already on their way back."

"Who is going to do the autopsy?" Beckett asked.

Booth responded, "Normally I'd give it to Camille, but under the circumstances, I'm not sure that is a good idea."

"Dr. Mallard again," Castle asked, "or maybe Dr. Brennan?" He nodded in the Forensic Pathologist's direction as he asked.

"Bones are my specialty," she answered. "I could do the job, but I'd be concerned that I might miss something."

"Fat chance," Booth said under his breath.

"It's far too important a case to risk something like that Booth," she lightly chastised him.

"I know, Bones," he said, even managing to look a little bit contrite.

"Do you have another top notch M.E.?" Gibbs asked.

"Dr. Myers," Booth and Brennan responded simultaneously. She continued alone, "but he is on vacation in Formosa. It would take him a minimum of twenty-six hours to get back here."

"We'd be better off having Ducky do both," Gibbs said.

"Yeah," Booth said, "but I want two sets of eyes on this, two good sets, and we need it fast. I don't want Dr. Mallard to push beyond his endurance & miss something."

"What about Lanie?" Castle said.

"That's actually a good idea, Castle," Beckett said. "She's only a couple of hours away, & I'm sure she'd be glad to help."

"Lanie is your Dr. Parish, right?" Brennan asked, waiting for a confirming nod from Beckett. "That is a good idea, Booth," she said. "When we went up there for that case with the bones from the sewer, I was impressed. She's good."

The FBI man had been watching the exchange with interest. He looked to Gibbs. "What do you think?"

"Ducky was impressed with her as well," he said, downing another sip of coffee. "We could do a lot worse."

Booth nodded to himself. He'd been thinking along the same lines. "Okay," he said to Beckett. "Call her and see if she'll jump on the next shuttle down."

The NYPD Detective nodded, but she had already flipped open the phone and dialed. "Hey Lanie," she said as she stepped out into the hall. "I've got a favor to ask…" the rest of whatever she was saying was cut off by the closing door.

A few minutes passed before Kate returned, the others going back to the files. "She'll be down on the next flight out of LaGuardia," she said, slipping back into her chair.

The door opened again and Emily Prentiss came in. She had a black dry erase marker in her hand, & moved straight to the large white board along the west wall of the conference room.

"You got something, Prentiss?" Gibbs asked.

"Maybe," she answered. "It doesn't connect everything, but something in the back of my mind says there is something there."

"Go ahead," Booth said, waving at the board, 'put it up."

Emily started to write, quickly jotting down abbreviations for the various cities from which young people had recently gone missing across the top of the board:

BST NYC PHI BLT DC ATL

"These are the cities we're looking at," she said. "They are all good-sized, all metropolitan, all with top notch services, amenities, schools & attractions."

"I've been looking through all the files. We have no true victim profile. The youngest victim that disappeared was a fifteen year old girl, the oldest a twenty-eight year old man. The victims cross most every racial & physical spectrum, & they come from different backgrounds, social classes, & work environments." She paused a moment.

Castle asked, "How is that a help to us?"

"It isn't," Emily replied, "until you find a connection, even a small one."

"And you did?" Beckett asked.

"Maybe," Prentiss said again.

"There is one commonality among the cities and the victims. In each city, there was at least one victim taken from a prestigious university, except here in DC where Alexis Castle and Michelle Welton," she looked over at Castle & Beckett, and then at Booth with some degree of sympathy in her eyes before hanging pictures of the two girls on the board w/ magnets, "were both taken together, & another girl disappeared a few days earlier. I'm thinking that only one of those two was a planned target, & the other was simply a target of opportunity. All of the college students taken, by the way, were young women between the ages of nineteen and twenty-one."

"Is there some connection between the students, or the schools?" Booth asked.

"Perhaps in the courses they studied?" Beckett threw in.

"Not that I was able to find," Prentiss said. "There was one pre-med, a pre-law, one liberal arts, one criminal justice and three, including Miss Castle and Miss Welton, who had yet to decide on a major. I checked on Professors who might have worked at all the schools, even if just as a guest lecturer at some, but again, nothing."

"I take it this is all leading somewhere?" Gibbs said.

"Yes." Prentiss turned back to the board and wrote, Law Schools. She underlined it twice. "The single thing that I've managed to find in common between all the college students that have been taken, is that they all attended universities that are known for their law schools."

Booth flipped open a file in front of him & started scanning the pages. "Brooke Leitner, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore."

Castle added, " Alexis Castle and Michelle Welton, Waverly, DC."

Beckett said, "Maria Delgado, Columbia, New York City."

Gibbs put in, " Nina Carlisle, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia."

Back to Booth, "Danielle Harris, John Marshall Law School, Atlanta."

Prentiss said, "Amanda Boykin, Georgetown, DC. Carla Frye, Harvard. You might also note that the girl who was rescued from her would-be captors in Boston, Rachel Vincent, attends Boston university."

"Pretty good law program at BU," Castle said.

"Good work, Emily," Booth said.

"Thanks," Prentiss replied, "but I have no idea how this really helps us."

"What do we do with the information?" Beckett asked. 

"We plug it all into Agent Shaw's smart board and see what pops out?" Castle said, the tone clearly indicating that he was inquiring and suggesting at the same time.

"It's worth a shot," Booth said. "In the mean time, we keep on digging." There was not a murmur of dissent.


End file.
